Babolat aero pro drive - Tennis Basics

Yonex V-core Pro Tennis Racquet Review

I have spent years looking for a replacement tennis racquet. I may have finally found one.

My old racquet is shown below. If you’re not familiar with the 2016 Babolat Aeropro here is a picture and the Specifications. I actually enjoyed this racquet. I usually strung it at 58 pounds, with Babolat Hybrid set up of Babolat RPM Blast and Babolat Touch VS Natural Gut. The strung weight was 12.1 ounces, but didn’t feel heavy at all as it was 4 points head light. I had plenty of access to spin and my lefty forehand spin to a righty’s backhand keeps opponents off balance for an entire match. My spin serve was also very effective and could occasionally crack a big flat first serve, but most of the time I was spinning the serve. Volleys were solid and my one handed backhand was solid.

Technical Specifications
Length	27 in	69 cm
Head Size	100 sq in	645 sq cm
Weight	11.3 oz	320 gm
Balance Point	13 in 33 cm	4pts Head Light
Construction	23mm / 26mm / 23mm
Composition	Graphite
String Pattern	16 Mains / 19 Crosses

Babolat RDC Ratings
	Score	Grade
Flex Rating	69	Range: 0-100
Swing Weight	327	Range: 200-400

I was on Facebook marketplace looking for a used 2016 Babolat Aero. I saw an ad for the Rafa Origin for sale for only $150.00. I thought for that price I could purchase it and keep it as a souvenir racquet. When I was texting with the seller, I asked him why he was selling and he said “It was too heavy.” Out of curiosity I asked him what racquet he replaced the origin with.” He said the Yonex V Core 95. I went to my pro-shop to demo this racquet, but they didn’t have the racquet. I ended up demo’ing the Yonex Percept H. Here is a photo and the specs. By the way, the “H” means heavy.

Specifications

Head Size: 97 in² / 625.81 cm²

Length: 27in / 68.58cm

Strung Weight: 12.2oz / 346g

Balance: 12.59in / 31.98cm / 7 pts HL

Swingweight: 333

Stiffness: 62

Beam Width: 21mm / 21mm / 21mm

Composition: NAMD-2G/H.M.Graphite

Yonex Percept 97 H

I instantly fell in love with the racquet. The racquet was solid, it was smooth, and although it had a smaller head size 97 I had no problem finding the sweet spot. The racquet actually weighed 12.5 oz strung, but it felt as light as my old 2016 Aero Pro. Although 7 pts headlight, the racquet felt very balanced. The 333 swing weight allows me to whip the forehand or the one handed backhand through with ease. The serve was the most interesting aspect of this racquet for me. When bringing the racquet up to the striking position it seemed the racquet would almost automatically get into the position and allow me plenty of time to hit either a nasty slice serve, or a remarkable big flat serve. The volleys were solid and I had no issues when quick responses were required at the net. I would say I wasn’t crazy about the color, but to finally find a racquet that checked all of the boxes, I was willing to buy the racquet, until I found out about the 2021 Yonex, Vcore Pro H racquet.

Specifications

Head Size: 97 in² / 625.81 cm²

Length: 27in / 68.58cm

Strung Weight: 12.3oz / 349g

Balance: 12.59in / 31.98cm / 7 pts HL

Swingweight: 337

Stiffness: 61

Beam Width: 21mm / 21mm / 21mm

Composition: NAMD-2G/H.M.Graphite

2021 Yonex Vcore Pro H racquet

I discovered the 2021 Yonex Vcore Pro H by accident. I saw it listed on Tennis Warehouse and noticed it was marked down 50% from the price of the Percept. When I started to look at the specifications of the Vcore Pro H, I noticed they were almost identical to the Percept. I checked with my local pro shop and they had two of the Vcore Pro H. I bought them both. I had them strung with Babolat RPM Blast 17 gauge at 50 pounds. I am trying not to be overly dramatic, but I really enjoy playing tennis with the Vcore Pro H. When playing big hitters, the racquet absorbs their power and spin and allows me to either return the ball with their pace, or with very little effort apply more power and spin myself. I hit the sweet spot more than 50% of my shots and the serve is just a terror now.
I have seen other reviews where some play tester say the racquet is too heavy. I would still give it a try before you make a decision based on the overall weight. I really believe the Yonex engineers spend a lot of time developing these racquets and they are also the manufacturer of the racquets. I think it makes a difference with the overall quality and feel of the racquet.
I hope your racquet is working awesome for you, but if you are looking for a new stick, at least try the Yonex Percept, or Yonex Vcore Pro.
Would you like to share your favorite racquet and why it is your favorite. Please let us know. Thank you.

Babolat Rafa Origin Racquet Review. Good or Bad?

At the beginning of every year I venture to try a new tennis racquet. I am currently playing with the 2016 Babolat Aero Pro Drive. This is the fluorescent green model and was a heavier version of the regular Aero Pro Drive that year, weighing in at 12.3 oz strung. Wow, that seems like a heavy racquet!!

I like the stability of the 2016 model, but it is a 2016 frame and I am sure it has lost some pop being that it is now 8 years old.
I am an NTRP 4.5 Singles and Doubles Player and a full time Tennis Coach. I play 2 to 3 matches a week on top of a full tennis coaching calendar. I hit with a heavy topspin forehand, but can also flatten it out if necessary. I have a top spin one handed backhand and it is a little more challenging to flatten it out, but I will tend to slice for position off the backhand if I can’t get under the ball enough. I also have a pretty good slice serve and a moderately good kick serve. I can hit the big flat serve when necessary.
I am giving you a point of reference for my game when I am discussing the test play of the Rafa Origin Racquet. The Rafa Origin is Rafa Nadal’s spec racquet, meaning it is the specification of his actual racquet. Here are the specs below.

Specifications

Head Size: 100 in² / 645.16 cm²

Length: 27in / 68.58cm

Strung Weight: 11.9oz / 337g

Balance: 13.38in / 33.99cm / 1 pts HL

Swingweight: 371

Stiffness: 70

Beam Width: 23mm / 26mm / 23mm

Composition: Graphite

Power Level: Low-Medium

Stroke Style: Medium-Full

Swing Speed: Medium-Fast

Racquet Colors: Pink/Yellow/Black

Grip Type: Babolat Syntec Pro

String Pattern:
16 Mains / 19 CrossesMains skip: 8T,8HTwo PiecesNo Shared Holes

String Tension: 50-59 pounds

I have highlighted 3 areas on the racquet specifications that really make this racquet standout from most racquets. On the balance, the racquet is only 1 point Head light, meaning the racquet carries a lot of weight in the head/hoop. The 1 point head light explains why the swing weight is so high at 371. As a comparison to my 2016 model, my racquet is 4 point headlight and has a swing weight of 327. The stiffness on the Rafa origin is 70, which means you are going to feel the shots as there is very little dampening in the frame. My racquet has a stiffness of 69, which is pretty close to the Origin.
The big difference with the Rafa Origin to mine, and other racquets is the high swing weight of 371 and the weight of the racquet in the hoop area.
In all honesty I have demoed this racquet twice. The first time the demo racquet had an unknown poly string and unknown tension. And while I really liked the racquet, I did feel it was a bit heavy and returned it shortly. But I was itching to play with the racquet again, and this time on my demo, I kept it a full two weeks and had the racquet strung with Babolat RPM Blast with 50 pounds of tension and 17 gauge string. I really wanted to put the racquet through its paces this time with my string and tension.
After 2 weeks of play here is what I found.
Forehand: Hitting a forehand with this racquet is pretty simple if you let the racquet take the lead, and don’t try to put too much arm into it. I have never hit a more stable, solid forehand, and every ball had power and depth. The more I played and hit with the Rafa Origin, the more comfortable I became. After about 5 straight days of hitting with it, my forehand felt great, but I couldn’t put the normal massive top spin on the ball, either hooking the ball in the corner, or inside out. The ball was flatter, but really jumped off the racquet with good power and depth.
Backhand: This was probably the craziest part of my play-test. I could not miss my one handed backhand if I tried. I could place the ball anywhere, with any spin and the slice was devastating. The power and depth was again easy to find, but I had to really try to miss on my backhand side. The interesting part is normally when playing a match, if I get pushed deep on my backhand side, I will usually revert to a hard slice to put the ball back to neutral. But with the Origin, I found myself just hitting through the ball so easy that I never even used one slice on my backhand.
Volley’s: The volley’s were mostly crisp and penetrating, but with the added head weight, I wasn’t as quick with variety at the net as with my old racquet. I like to make angle shots up at the net, and found it a little challenging to maneuver the racquet around the net. The volley’s had solid punch, but I was surprised the racquet, just with its sheer weight, didn’t provide a more solid volley. The overhead was fine, but again, getting the Origin up quickly for a volley, is a little more challenging with the added head weight.
Serve: This is probably the shot I noticed the weight in the head the most. Because I take a pretty good size loop on my backswing, getting the racquet up to the power position and then to the head drop and swinging upward, I could definitely feel the weight of the racquet on this stroke. It wasn’t too bad on the flat serve, and when letting the racquet get out in front of you on the serve, the racquet again does the heavy lifting on the flat serve. It was on the slice and the kick serve that I started to feel some pain in my outer wrist. Because of the heavy acceleration required for a slice and kick, my wrist couldn’t handle bringing the Origin up and through during an excruciating match. But even before the pain, I wasn’t getting the crazy amount of spin on my slice or kick serve that I am used to. It was very similar to my experience with the forehand, where I could not get that crazy forehand topspin shot.
Summary: There is a reason I demoed the Origin racquet twice. I really wanted to get the racquet! There is something almost magical when hitting with the Rafa Origin racquet. It is like you are trying to control a wild horse in the beginning, but once under control it is a smooth and powerful hitting weapon. I really loved hitting the ball with that racquet. I was even getting used to those wild colors. I can truly say, I have never enjoyed hitting a ball more than with that racquet.
It was the last day for my demo and I chose to play a match with a speedy opponent. I was hitting with both depth and power on my forehand and backhand, and even without access to my heavy topspin, I
was still dictating play with the heaviness and depth of the ball. It was during the second set that I noticed the pain in my wrist while serving. I tried to stretch it out, but it was still hurting. I switched racquets and won the match, but there was still some pain in my wrist. For the next few weeks it hurt pretty bad. After taking a few weeks off and a month of playing in a wrist brace, and taking it easy on match play’s, the pain is finally gone, after about 6 scary weeks.
I will say that other play testers have also said the racquet plays heavy and their arm gets tired faster. I also have not seen anyone playing with the racquet out on public or private courts, probably for the same reason, it is just too darn heavy.

Only one man can hit with the Rafa Origin Racquet. And that man is the GOAT RAFA NADAL.
Vamos RAFA.!!!

Racquet Review 2022 Babolat Aero Pro Drive

RAFA NADAL’s Longtime Racquet with a wild new look!

The first time I saw this new Babolat Aero Pro Drive I thought “VAMOS RAFA”. The Racquet looks absolutely crazy. I think your game will improve from just how cool this racquet looks on the court. Rafael Nadal‘s racquet of choice, the Babolat Pure Aero Rafa is here. This racquet features the same cosmetic as the one he plays with on tour. The Pure Aero Rafa features the same specifications as the 2019 Pure Aero of which I am the proud owner of 4 of those racquets. The driving force for the Aero series is the Aeromodular beam construction for less wind drag and increased racquet head speed. The Pure Aero incorporates Babolat’s Cortex Pure Feel to make the response a little more arm friendly at contact. The tech comes from a partnership with SMAC, a company with long standing ties to the aerospace industry specializing in shock and vibration reduction. SMACWRAP, a thin viscoelastic rubber has been placed at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions of the Pure Aero for outstanding feel and comfort. Babolat added the CARBON PLY STABILIZER to improve stability. CPly Carbon was developed by Chomorat, a French industrial company, and added above the throat of the racquet for more precision and stability. FSI Spin incorporates an open string pattern with oblong shaped grommets for easier access to spin while the established Woofer grommet system enhances the interaction between the ball and strings. The Pure Aero Rafa is just over 11 ounces strung, 27 inches long, and features a 16×19 string pattern. This makes for a very maneuverable, arm friendly racquet that produces a lot of spin and accuracy on all of your favorite shots. If you are looking to add spin, power and touch to your game, look no further than the 2022 Babolat Aero Pro Drive. Be on the lookout for the new Pure Aero Rafa RHx12 bag!.

Here is a video of my top spin forehand and backhand using the 2019 Babolat Aero Pro Drive. You can see lots of top spin action.